Question
Hi Tom,
I wonder could you tell me approximately how many seeds to a mature female cone of the Araucaria heterophylla? I imagine that the number of successful germinations would depend upon the takeup rate from the pollen dispersed by the male cone, but I wonder would you have an approximate or average number?
Many thanks,
Lyn

Answer
Hi Lyn,
Thanx for your question.  So sorry to be delayed in answering.  From what I can gather, the U.S. Forestry Service indicates 573 seeds per kg or 260 seeds per lb.  So, take the weight of your cone and multiply it by the preceding numbers.  Also, there were some indications of low viability rates of the seeds and that up to 40% might not germinate due to local environmental conditions.  Some species of the Araucaria genus will become dessicated rather quickly and become unviable and others can be kept for up to 8 years.  Here is a link from the the U.S. Forestry Service for what it's worth.

http://www.nsl.fs.fed.us/wpsm/Araucaria.pdf

I hope this helps.

Tom